


Until the Midnight Hour

by Bagheera



Category: Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Abusive Parents, Fairy Tale Retellings, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Magic, Male Cinderella, Pre-Slash, Riddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 18:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1110189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bagheera/pseuds/Bagheera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"You are indeed fearless," he told Loki when the little giant reached him.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I am," Loki confirmed, because here, face to face with Thor, it was true. "Until the midnight hour."</i>
</p><p>A fairy tale re-telling with Loki as Cinderella.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Until the Midnight Hour

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2011 for the Thor kinkmeme.

Loki really hated being the littlest giant. He hated it even more since the Jotun had discovered that Loki could be useful if properly motivated, because to his brethren, "proper motivation" usually amounted to death threats or more or less friendly violence. Now every day they came up with new demands - Loki, fetch us this magical ring, Loki, trick some dwarves into building us stuff, Loki, there's this Asgardian trying to steal my daughter, make him go away, Loki, we need you to turn into a maiden to distract some dragons so we can steal their treasure...

But whenever he came up with something actually worthwhile, like a scheme to overthrow Asgard, or a brilliant magical spell that could turn Jotunheim into a place that was actually habitable and nice and not painfully dull, all he got was ridicule or a good thrashing.

Today it was wood. King Laufey wanted wood because his wife wanted a wooden floor in her chamber, so naturally it was Loki who was sent to procure wood from a place with forests instead of glaciers. Naturally that place was Asgard, but this time not even the prospect of violence could motivate Loki to work hard. Wood chopping! Of all the demeaning things to ask a prince and a powerful sorcerer to do! Laufey could go hang himself if he found a wooden beam to do it from in Jotunheim - because Loki wasn't going to bring him any.

Instead, Loki decided to do something interesting. And what could be more interesting than walking straight into the Hall of Odin and sit down with his mortal enemies to feast? So he turned himself into an Asgardian, stole some suitable clothes from an unattended clothesline, and made his way to Odin's Hall.

The walls were so gleaming with gold that Loki could see himself as if in a mirror, and what he saw made him smile. There was something much more expressive, much more interesting about Asgardian faces with their oddly coloured eyes and soft skin and most of all their hair - Loki loved the many shades of hair all around him, flaxen blond and brown as bearskin and fiery red braids, hair black as night or brighter than the sun ever got in Jotunheim. 

He wanted to steal some of that brightness and take it home with him, nurture it like a flame in the dark. He could have sat there watching the feast all night, drinking honey-sweet mead in small sips like liquid summer days. The other Jotun hated warmth and fire and all things bright, but Loki did not. He was dazzled by it, drawn to it like a dwarf to gold, and so distracted that he did not notice the raven watching him, or Lord Odin bending to speak a serious word in his son's ear, or the threatening figure of Thor approaching his table. Not until a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

Loki twisted around in surprise and found himself looking up at the god of thunder. "You have overreached yourself, fiend," Thor said. "This is the hall of Odin, whose one eye sees all. Did you think your magic would go unnoticed?"

Loki rose up from the table, and was pleased to see that while he might have been the littlest giant, he could very easily look Thor in the eyes. His were blue, another lovely shade, a blue like summer skies such as there never were in Jotunheim. Loki assumed they would turn stormy when Thor released his famous rage, and since he was carrying his hammer even now, that promised to happen soon. "I meant no harm," Loki said. "It was only my wish to feast with you until the midnight hour."

Unlike a Jotun - who would have struck without further ado - Thor looked confused. "Midnight? What happens then?"

It was quite a novelty to be asked questions. Most Jotun considered him beneath their notice, and they weren't the most talkative race to begin with. Loki was charmed into giving an honest answer. "At midnight, I must journey back to Jotunheim to tell my father that I have idled away the hours at feast, rather than do his bidding."

Thor blinked. "His bidding?"

Loki experimented with taking a few steps towards the exit of the hall. Thor did nothing to stop him, just followed him. 

"I was told to chop wood in your forest."

"Is that a riddle?" Thor asked. "My father keeps setting me tasks like that, where it's all about figuring out what things mean and how to win through cleverness and knowledge rather than a warrior's skills. He says I need to prove myself wise as well as strong if I want to be king."

"I'm not meant to be king," Loki said. Laufey had begot other sons after him, sons that were much more suited to the throne. "I'm only supposed to bring home wood."

Thor gave him a considering look. "You're surprisingly friendly for a frost giant."

Loki smiled. "Have you talked to many of my kind?"

"No," Thor admitted, and grinned, "I usually just smite them with my hammer."

"Well, you can smite me. There's not much I can do about it." Loki was not very afraid of Thor's hammer - it could hardly bruise him worse than Laufey's wrath.

"You're either reckless or brave," Thor said, grinning wider. "I like it. What is your name, little foe?"

Loki stared at him. Thor Odinson had asked him his name. It was an honor, even if it ended in a smiting. "Loki," he said, and proudly omitted the Laufeyson, because Thor had asked him for his name without knowing that he was a prince, and that made the honor all the greater.

"Midnight is nearly upon us," Thor said, "but if you are as brave as you seem, come back tomorrow to feast at my side."

"Will your father not mind -?"

"About as much as yours," Thor confirmed with a cocky glance at the high seat. "But I can be reckless, too."

*

Laufey did rage as much as Loki had anticipated, but Loki promised to bring back wood the next time, and was allowed to return to Asgard the following day.

He went to the forest to lick his wounds and stare at the gleaming spires in longing. He was not afraid of Thor's challenge, but he was afraid of what Laufey would do if he returned empty-handed a second time. But without even consciously deciding it, he had turned once more into an Asgardian. It took an extra spell to disguise the bruises mottling his skin and to soften his limp, but the mere prospect of returning to that glorious hall and to Thor's bright grin spurred Loki's magic. His feet were light as he walked up to Asgard and into the great hall.

From across the room, Thor spotted him, and met his eyes with a delighted laugh.

"You are indeed fearless," he told Loki when the little giant reached him.

"I am," Loki confirmed, because here, face to face with Thor, it was true. "Until the midnight hour."

Thor moved aside to make space for him on the bench, and Loki sat down next to him. He was given mead, and told to drink more heartily, and asked if he had done more fearless things, and Loki found himself telling stories. To his surprise, Thor laughed at most of them, the louder the more they drank, and somehow his hand kept ending up on Loki's shoulder or on Loki's knee, warm through the thin cloth Loki wore, like sunshine.

"There is no feast tomorrow," Thor whispered into his ear when midnight was upon them, "but a fearless giant might find entertainment enough in my chambers."

Loki wished he could promise in an instant, but he could not bring himself to lie. His luck could not hold, Laufey would not let him go a third time. His helpless look seemed to provoke Thor into a reckless gesture of his own, as he bent his head and pressed a rough kiss to Loki's lips.

Loki recoiled, his magic wavering for a shocked second, and Thor's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Loki's true self for the first time. It was enough to remind Loki that he must return home.

"It's midnight," he whispered, and left Thor to stare after him in stunned amazement.

The next night found Thor pacing in his chambers until well after midnight. He could not tell what it was about the brazen giant that had enchanted him so, but he could think of nothing and no one else. Was it the danger of courting a giant? The promise of something strange and utterly unusual? Or was it the undeniable beauty of the giant's chosen form, slim and slight and nothing like an Asgardian warrior, and his voice so soft in Thor's ear, the way he startled a little whenever Thor touched him, but then pressed back into the touch like a purring cat? Or was it the way his pale eyes seemed to catch every reflection of fire in the room - he looked not like one of those huge, cold monsters of icy Jotunheim, but like something fey and wild that roamed the forest without fear of man - -

"It is no use!" Thor growled, kicking his bed in frustration. "If this goes on, I shall end up sounding like a bard's courting song!"

He went in search of the Warrior's Three, but could not distract himself with their company, as they knew immediately what he was about.

"Did your pet giant stand you up?" Sif teased and Fandral sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to his heart, "Oh, starcrossed young love, how tragic!"

"Maybe he has a morsel of sense in him, after all," Volstagg muttered. "Unlike you, my prince."

Thor glowered at them, and then stared at Mjolnir. He remembered the glimpse he had had of the giant's true shape - tiny for his race, just as slight and graceful as he had been in his Asgardian guise, but undeniably a red-eyed, ice-skinned giant.

With bruises all over his face.

"I will go to Jotunheim," he declared.

"Is that wise?" Hogun the Grim asked.

"No giant shall be called braver than I, the mighty Thor." They looked at him and sighed in resignation. He crossed his arms defensively. "Or do you doubt that I can do what he has done, and walk straight into their hall?"

*

Heimdall wasn't eager to let him pass the bridge, but as a prince of Asgard, Thor had the power to command him. The real problems started once he stepped into the icy wasteland of Jotunheim. He had no idea where to find Loki. He could be living in any lowly hovel or cave, or in the greatest ice palace. All Thor knew was his name, and the fact that Loki had a father.

He sat down on a cold rock and tried to think of a plan, cursing his luck. Why was it never as simple as 'go in, smash things with hammer, leave'? Thor would never be a great strategist or a wise man, no matter how much Odin tried to train him in the subtler arts of kingship.

The flutter of raven wings roused him from his thoughts. He watched the two birds set down in the snow before him, cocking their heads to stare at him with beady black eyes. They were without doubt his father's companions, sent here to scold him for his rash decision and call him back to Asgard.

"I won't go," he told them. "I will find him!"

"What do you want a giant for?" asked the raven whose name was Memory.

"If Loki were here," Thor said petulantly, "he would have counsel for me, or he could help me with magic."

The raven whose name was Thought cawed softly, and scratched the snow with its beak. "A sorcerer who does not want to be found will not be found, Thor."

"But he's no coward!" Thor shouted at them, venting his anger and frustration. "He's not afraid of my hammer, or of the wrath of Odin himself. So why should he hide from me?"

"Someone may be hiding him from you," Memory said.

And Thought added, "A fearless sorcerer is a great helpmate. A wise king would guard such a servant jealously."

"I wish I could just knock down every door in Jotunheim until I find him," Thor growled. "I'd bloody my hammer until they give him to me."

"Impatience never leads to victory, Thor," Thought admonished, sounding exactly like Odin.

"In the old times," Memory added, "no giant would shrink from a challenge of wisdom."

"A challenge." Thor scratched his beard. "If I could think of a riddle only a sorcerer could solve..."

"Remember what your father taught you, Thor," Memory said, "and all will be well."

Odin had tried, without much avail, to teach his only heir the secrets of sorcery. But Thor had no hand for it, his fingers turned clumsy when he tried to carve runes, and his brain refused to remember complicated spells. The only magic that came easily to him was that of wind and clouds and rain, the lightning cast and the thunder runes.

But years of teaching could not be completely without fruit. Thor knew the runic alphabet, and even if he could not use their magic, he could read and write runes when it pleased him.

King Laufey of Jotunheim looked taken aback when a prince of Asgard walked straight into his court, used his hammer's handle to write a number of runes into the snow, and challenged the assembled Jotun to solve his riddle.

"Riddle?" Laufey boomed in rage. "That is a very poor riddle!"

"I know," Thor shrugged, "you only need to know some runes."

The giants withdrew to speak in hushed, angry tones with each other. It was hard for a giant to whisper, so Thor could understand them just fine. What he heard made him smirk. None of them could read Asgardian runes, and they were loath to admit their ignorance.

"Bring out your freak," one of the Jotun nobles hissed at Laufey. "He'll be useful for something at last."

Finally, Laufey turned back to Thor. "To prove to you what a very poor riddle it is, I shall send to the least of my sons, and he will solve it."

Thor frowned. A son of Laufey? No, it couldn't be Loki. No prince would be sent to do menial work. If Laufey's son could read runes, then his plan would not work. He gripped his hammer more tightly, ready to make an exit if necessary, but when the giants Laufey had sent to fetch his son returned, they were leading a small, stumbling figure no taller than Thor.

It was Loki, without a doubt. Thor recognized him despite the unfamiliar features and the bowed head, and the rags he wore that could not cover his bruises. Thor's heart swelled in rage and sympathy at the sight. He hoped to catch Loki's eyes, but Loki kept his blood-red gaze turned downward until they shoved him towards the runes.

"Read," Laufey ordered.

Loki licked his cracked lips, and slowly sank to his knees on the icy ground. He traced the runes with his fingers, every one of them until the last. Then he blinked in confusion.

"Read," Laufey hissed, "or I shall tear you limb from limb."

"He's your son!" Thor burst out, no longer able to control himself.

Loki looked up at the sound of Thor's voice. When their eyes met, he trembled, but spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Whosoever reads these runes, if he be worthy, shall be the brother of Thor."

Thor had known how to write the spell, but his runes had merely been words, not magic. On Loki's silver tongue, they transformed, unfolding their power, binding them both as soon as they were spoken. Thor felt their brand in his blood, but their effect on Loki was more dramatic - in the middle of the frost giant court, his skin blushed from icy blue to a warmer shade, his eyes turned from red to green, and he collapsed on the floor in an unconscious heap.

The giants were speechless for a moment. Thor looked around, shrugged, and decided that it was time to do something reckless and stupid. Loki weighed less than his hammer when he picked him up, and felt surprisingly warm.

"Congratulations," Thor said. "You solved my riddle. I won't be bothering you any further."

He was halfway out of the hall when the giants realised what he was doing and came after him, and he had to break into a run.

Thor made it to Bifröst before the giants caught up with him, proving that sometimes a swift exit was the better part of valour (a gem of wisdom from Fandral the Dashing which Thor had never before properly appreciated). Heimdall gave him a particularly all-seeing look when he showed up with the unconscious Loki still in his arms, but Thor applied another piece of wisdom (this time from Hogun): if in doubt, hold your tongue and pretend you know what you're doing.

He would probably have made it all the way to his chambers with this method, but on the way to the fortress of Asgard, Loki stirred in his arms. He opened his eyes, blinking at the summer sky and then at Thor, and then suddenly squirmed out of his arms like a fish. He nearly stumbled when his feet hit the soft, grassy ground, too weak still from his faint and the abuse he had suffered, but he held himself bravely.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, every bit as bold as he had been when he'd walked into the hall of Odin twice in a row.

Thor opened his mouth and ended up stammering something inarticulate.

"Those runes," Loki asked more sharply, "did you write them in jest?"

"No," Thor said and tried to look his most impressive. "I knew what I was doing."

"You've cast a bond between us that cannot be broken." Loki looked sick now, caught between panic and anger and flushing in a way that was entirely distracting to Thor.

"Good," he said stubbornly, "That's what I wanted."

Actually, all he had wanted was to see Loki again. Once, not for the rest of eternity. But now that he thought about it, the idea sounded more and more pleasing.

"I could never be your brother," Loki went on, still agitated. "I'm a Jotun."

Thor raised his chin. "I want you," he said. "And I am Thor, son of Odin, so I get what I want."

Loki stared at him as if he could not believe what he was hearing, then sat down in the grass. "Has anyone ever told you you're stunningly arrogant?"

"Arrogant?" Thor echoed, taken aback. "But where else would you go?"

Loki raised his brows slightly. "Back to Jotunheim?"

"Your own father has promised to tear you limb from limb! They use you like the lowest slave, they - " Thor's voice choked with an emotion he could not name that was neither rage nor pity on Loki's behalf, but something stronger than both. He gestured instead at Loki's ragged appearance.

"And so it has always been," Loki shrugged. "Fear not, Thor. They will not kill me while I am more useful to them alive."

"But they will still not treat you as you deserve." Thor could not understand why Loki was so stubborn and contrary. "Why would you choose to go back?"

Loki cast a wistful look back at the bridge and the glittering stars. "If it was you instead of me - if your brothers considered you weak and useless, and your father always preferred another, if you never got a kind word or a proud look from him no matter how hard you try, would you give up and leave? Or would you not strive harder to please him? I am Loki, the smallest, the weakest, the lowest of the low, the smith of lies and weaver of illusions, yes, I am he - but I will not give up."

He struggled back to his feet, but Thor was there before he could succeed, pulling him up with a strong grip. He didn't let go, and Loki frowned up at him.

"I don't know much about magic," Thor said, "but the runes you spoke had a condition. If he be worthy. That means that Loki Laufeyson is worthy to be my brother." He pulled Loki into a hug, kissing his forehead. The kiss was not all brotherly in its affection, but he hoped Loki understood - even if desire would fade, this bond would remain. "If I had but one brother to love me as I do him, I would gladly leave behind all the rest of my family, and never look back."

"Yes, well," Loki breathed into the hollow of Thor's throat, "you're a madman. Binding yourself to me proves that."

"Does it?" Thor asked, bemused.

"Yes, because I must also be quite mad." Loki slipped out of his embrace, but took Thor's hand into his much smaller and cooler one. "Because I shall hold you to your promise, Asgardian."

Loki's words were grave, but Thor broke into a smile. "Brothers," he said, grasping Loki's hand tightly and pulling him back into a hug.

"Brothers," Loki sighed.


End file.
